Trench roller



R. KEELER 2&92395 TRENCH ROLLER Filed Jan. 21, 1937 4 SheetsSheet l RAYMONDW KEELER,

ATT'X f/vvE/yToRr R E L E E K W R.

TRENCH ROLLER Filed Jan. 21, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet /NVE/Y7'OR.' v 'gs RAYMOND W. KEELER,

April 16, 194

R. w. KEELER 2,197,395

TRENCH ROLLER Filed Jan. 21, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 fiVVE/VTOR. RAYMOND W KEELER,

ABY 0 R. w. KEELER 2,197,395

TRENCH ROLLER Filed Jan. 21, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 RAYMOND W. KEELER Patented Apr. 16, 1940 PATENT OFFICE TRENCH ROLLER Raymond W. Kceler, Gallon,

Ohio, assignor to The Gallon Iron Works & Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application January 21, 1937, Serial No. 121,601

26 Claims.

This invention relates to a trench roller, and particularly to such a roller adapted to roll and compact material in a trench along the side of a previously built road as a step in the widening of 5 said road.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a trench roller of the above mentioned type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trench roller in which a heavy roller is mounted at one side of the device with a pair of wheels at the other side of the device, which ride upon the road surface with the roller in the trench and including means to maintain the frame level in a transverse direction by adjusting one of said wheels vertically while providing for the steering of the device by the steering of the other of said wheels.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a road roller in which means are provided to maintain the roller free of any adhering material by both scraping said roller and washing it with a wetted mat.

Other objects of the invention will appear g1 hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device of my invention shown in operative position with the roller in a trench;

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevational view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device in the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the device shown in transporting position or in a position completing the widening of the road surface;

Fig. 5 is a transverse composite sectional view showing the drive mechanism interconnecting the power unit and the road roller, the portion to the left of the line A-A being taken in a horizontal plane, and the portion to the right of said line being taken in a vertical plane;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional and elevational view showing certain gears of the clutch of the power unit;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view showing the mounting of the roller mat washer;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of Fig. 7

Figs. 9 and 10 are reverse side elevational views of another form of the device comprising my invention; and a Fig. 11 is a 9 and 10.

plan view of the device of Figs. 65

- the channel member Referringparticularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, the trench roller of my invention comprises a main frame l formed by a pair of longitudinally extending channel members I I and I2, a forward transversely extending channel member IS, a rearward diagonally extending channel member l4; and an intermediately positioned longitudinally extending channel member l5. All of said channel members I I to I 5, inclusive, are rigidly attached together, as by welding.

Upon the rear portion of the main frame I 0 and forming a part thereof, is a plate l6 forming a platform to support a number of elements, as hereinafter described in complete detail. Said plate It is rigidly attached to the channel .mem- 15 bers H, l2, l4 and I5, as by welding.

Extending transversely of the main frame H1 at the forward end thereof is a shaft H which is pivotally attached to said main frame III by appropriate brackets I8 and IS, the former of which is rigidly attached to the channel member l2 and the latter of which is rigidly attached to II. Said brackets I 8 and I9 are provided with appropriate journal bearings to mount said shaft I I for free rocking move- '26 ment.

A collar 20 (see Fig. 2) is rigidly attached at one end of the shaft H to prevent axial movement of said shaft in one direction. Adjacent its outer end the shaft l1 carries a heavy roller 2| 80 which is employed to level the material in a trench to be rolled, as is hereinafter described in full detail.

The hub of the roller 2| is 'journaled for free rotation on the shaft l1 and will be effective to as prevent axial movement of said shaft I! in one direction. As a consequence o1 the provision of the collar 20 and roller 2| on opposite sides of the bracket I9, said shaft I! will be held against axial movement in either direction while being free to rock.

Adjacent the opposite end of the shaft I! to that which carries the roller 2|, I provide a level or arm 22 which is-rigidly attached at one end to said shaft H, and at its free end carries axle 23 upon which is journaled a wheel 24, preferably provided with a pneumatic tire 25.

Adjacent the rear end-of the main frame l0 and on the same side thereof, at which the wheel 24 is located, I provide a steering and supporting wheel 26 having a pneumatic tire 2'! and mounted upon an axle 28 rigidly attached to a bracket 29 which is mounted upon a king pin 30 for oscillation about an upright axis.

. To effect oscillation of the wheel 26 to steer the devioe,thebracket23carriesanarm|3ltowhich is connected a steering rod 3| operable through reduction gearing 32 from a steering wheel 33 mounted upon the plate or platform It. This steering mechanism is of a construction commonly employed in automobiles, the construction of which is well understood in the art. Also mounted upon the plate or platform I3 ,is anoperator's seat 34. V

Mounted adjacent the front end of the main frame Ill and preferably positioned directly above the shaft i1, is a power unit 35 preferably comprising an internal combustion engine with'appropriate reduction gearing and operating clutches which may be controlled to drive the roller 2| in reverse directions and at two speeds. The power unit also preferably has a brake associated therewith and includes a clutch lever 3i biased to a normal position in which neither of two clutches is engaged and operable in reverse directions to cause reverse movement of the trench roller; and a gear shift lever 31 which may be operated to provide two speeds of movement of said device; and a brake lever 38 which may be operated to hold the device in any desired position. The structural details of the clutches, transmission gears and brake are illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and will be described in detail hereinafter.

As clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the trench roller is particularly adapted to operate with the roller 2| in a trench adjacent a previously built road in a road widening operation with the wheels 24 and 26 riding on the old road surface. Due to the lateral distance between said wheels 24 and 26 on the one hand, and the roller 2| on the other, which, for example, may be approximately five feet, a trench of any width up to flve feet, and to a minimum of the width of the roller 2|, may be rolled with my device with the wheels 24 and 26 on the previously built pavement.

In order to maintain the rolling surface of the roller 2| horizontal and thus to roll the bottom of the trench level while at the same time maintaining the frame |l| level laterally of itself, I provide means for adjusting the wheel 24 vertically by rocking it about the axis of the shaft l1. This adjustment also has a horizontal component of movement, but it is the vertical movement which is primarily of importance and where in the claims a vertical adjustment is called for,

-it is to be understood that the movement may or may not also have a horizontal component.

To provide for said vertical adjustment of the wheel 24 with respect to the frame In for the reasons above set forth, I provide means to rock the shaft Said means comprises an oscillating lever or arm 40, rigidly attached or keyed to said shaft I! to which lever 40 is pivotally attached a yoke 4| carrying a threaded nut 42. A shaft 43 provided with a crank handle 44 at one end and threaded at 45 at the other end, is joumaled in a trunnion 46 supported from the plate or platform l6 by a bracket 41. The trunnion 46 holds the shaft C3 against axial movement in either direction while permitting free rotary movement thereof.

The threaded portion 45 of said shaft 43 threads into the nut 42 and cooperates therewith and with the yoke 4|, to provide an extensible link. It will be obvious that upon a rotation of the shaft 43 in one direction, said extensible link will be lengthened, and upon rotation thereof in the other direction it will be shortened. The

lengthening and shortening of this link will cause rocking of the shaft II with a consequent vertical adjustment upwardly or downwardly of the wheel 24 with respect to the main frame .|3.- It is thus evident that the crank handle 44 may be operated tom surface of the roller 2| horizontal, or mother words, to maintain the shaft ll in a horizontal plane- In the operation of the device there may be a tendency for the material in the trench to stick to the roller 2|. To maintain said roller clean at all times, I provide both forward and rearward scraper mechanisms 53 carried by the channel member and cooperating with said roller 2| to scrape material therefrom. Said scraper mechanisms 53 are of similar construction and each comprises a shaft 5| extending laterally from a bracket 52 which is rigidly attached to the channel II. A pair of arms 53 are pivoted to the shaft 3| and carry a transversely extending scraper plate 54 which engages the roller 2|.

To urge the scraper plate 54 into engagement with the roller 2| I provide a pin 55 carried on a downwardly extending bracket 53 mounted on the shaft 5|, around which pin is provided a coil spring 51 which abuts a plate 53 through which the pin 55 extends. It will be evident that the spring 51 urges the scraper plate 54 into engagement with the surface of the roller 2|.

It is also desirable in certain instances to provide means for wetting the surface of the roller 2|. This is particularly true where the roller is employed in the finishing operation, and material, such as crushed stone held together by a bituminous binder, is employed for the final road surface. It has been found that by maintaining the surface of the roller 2| wet, a tendency for this material to adhere thereto is greatly reduced.

To provide for this wetting of the surface of said roller 2|, I mount a water tank 33 on the rear end of the platform It and provide it with a removable cap I. Positioned above the rear scraper mechanism 50 is a wiping device 32 (Fig. 4) for wetting the surface of said roller 2|. Said wiping device comprises a pipe 63 extending laterally from the main frame Ill and rigidly attached thereto, as by a clamp 54. The bottom of the pipe is perforated at intervals and the end thereof is closed by cap 65. (See Fig. 8.)

Positioned below the perforations in the pipe 3 is a wiping element preferably in the form of a coco-mat 66 which is attached to and supported by said pipe 63 by an inverted U-shaped plate 61 and transversely extending nuts and bolts 63. The U-shaped plate 61 is rigidly attached to the pipe 63 by appropriate machine screws 33 which thread into appropriate threaded bosses carried by the pipe 33.

The pipe 63 is connected to the tank by appropriate piping means I3, and the flow of fluid from said tank 30 to the spray pipe 63 is ad- J'usted by a hand valve II in said piping system.

It will thus be evident that both scraper and wetting means are provided to maintain the surby an operator on the seat 34 to maintain the botface of the roller 2| substantially free of adhering material.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings which disclose the construction of the clutch and transmission gears of the power unit 35 and the driving connection between said power unit and the roller 2|. Mounted upon anti-friction bearings within the clutch housing 12 is a shaft 13 providedwith a pair of integral gears 8,187,805 14 and 15. The shaft 18 is splined at 16 and la This shifting of the gear I88 will, of .course, be driven from an element 11 connected with the effected by moving the gear shift lever 81 to fly wheel of the power unit. It is thus evident the right, as viewed in Fig. of the drawings. that shaft 13 will be driven from the motor. of Keyed to the inner end of theshaft 88 is a the power unit. brake drum I 86 and a drive pinion I86. Co-

Also mounted within the clutch housing." upon anti-friction bearings is a splined, shaft 18 to which is splined a shiftable collar 18 which may be shifted axially of the shaft 18 in reverse directions by a shipper 88, which will be operated by the clutch lever 36, previously mentioned.

The collar 18 carries two clutch elements 8| and 82 of a pair of disc type friction clutches 83 and 84, respectively. Also forming a part-of the clutches 83 and 84, respectively, are the clutch elements 85 and 86 provided with integral gears 81 and 88, the former of which meshes-directly with the gear 14 and the latter of which is connected to the gear 15 through the idler gear I85 (see Fig. 6), which has a width suflicient to be engaged by both said gears 15 and 88. It will thus be seen that upon rotation of the shaft 18 the clutch elements 85 and 86 will rotate in opposite directions, thus by operating the shipper 88 from the lever 36 to move the clutch elements 8| and 82 axially of the shaft 18, said clutches 83 and 84 may be selectively operated to drive the shaft 18 in reverse directions. As was previously stated, when the lever 36 is in its neutral position, neither of said clutches 83 or 84 will be operated, and thus the shaft 18 will remain stationary even though shaft 13 is retating. I

At its rear end the shaft 18 carries a pinion 88 which meshes with the internal teeth of a master gear 88 which is mounted upon a stub shaft 8I and keyed thereto, which stub shaft 8I is mounted upon anti-friction bearings in the clutch housing 12 and the gearing housing 82. The stub shaft 9I is provided at its rear end with an integral pinion gear 83 which meshes with a transmission gear 84 carried upon a hub 85 which is mounted upon a shaft 86 in the housing 82. The hub 95 also carries an integral gear 91 at one end.

Joumaled upon anti-friction bearings in the housing 82, end of the stub shaft 8| is a drive shaft 88 which is splined at 88 to receive slidably a gear I88, which is slidable axially of said drive shaft 98 by a shipper I8I mounted on a shaft I82 and operable by the gear shift lever 31 previously mentioned.

In a neutral 31, the gear in Fig. 5.

position of the gear shift lever I88 will be in the position illustrated If said gear shift lever 31 is moved to the left, as viewed in said Fig. 5, then it will pivot about the universal socket I83 thereof, and shift the gear I 88 so that it is in mesh with the gear 81. As a consequence, the shaft 88 will be driven from the stubshaft 8| through the gears 83, 94, 81 and I88. In view of the fact that gear 94 is larger than gear 83, and gear I88 is larger than gear 81, this will effect a reduction in the speed of shaft 88, as compared with the speed of shaft 8I. This will therefore provide a low speed or powerful drive for the shaft 88.

The gear I88 is also provided with internal teeth I84 and when said gear I88 is shifted to the'left, as viewed in Fig. 5, said teeth I84 effect a direct drive from the shaft 8I through gear 83, teeth I84 of gear I88 to the shaft 98. Thus, shafts 8| and 88 will be directly connected under these circumstances, which will provide a relatively high speed of movement of the trench roller.

and in a cup I81 formed in the rear operating with the brake drum I85 is a brake shoe-I81 which is operated by the brake lever 38 in a well-known manner. A stationary guard I 88 is also provided to enclose the brake shoe I81, said guard I88 being rigidly attached to the gear housing 82. The pinion I86 meshes directly with a large ring gear I88 which is rigidly attached to the roller- 2| in a recess 8 thereof as by screws II I. trio with the shaft I1.

As has been previously mentioned, the axis of the drive shaft 88 is preferably parallel with and directly above the axis of the shaft I1 when the main frame I8 is horizontal. This insures proper meshing of the and the ring gear I88 teeth of the pinion I86 at all times.

The ring gear I 88 is concen- In Figs. 9, l0 and 11 of the drawings I have illustrated another form of my invention which followsthe construction of the above described device except for certain differences specifically described hereinafter. Said device comprises a main frame I28 supported by a main front roller I2| and a front wheel I22 provided with a pneumatic tire. wheel I 22 is vertically adjustable by operating mechanism I 23 similar to the mechanism described above and including crank handle 44, etc. Roller I2I is driven'from a power unit I24, as was roller 2| driven from power unit 35. A clutch lever I25, gear shift lever I26 and brake lever I21 are provided and operate similarly to corresponding levers 36, 31 and 38, above described. Roller I2I is provided with front and rear scrapers I28 and a wiping device I28, the latter being supplied with water from tank I38, from which a flow of water to said wiping device I 28 is controlled by hand valve I3I. A tool box I32is also provided on the frame I 28. An operators seat I33 is provided to support the operator near the levers I25, I26 and I21 and near a steering wheel I34.

It will be evident that the principal diiference between the devices of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and Figs. 9 to 11, inclusive, is in the position and construction of the rear supporting and steering wheel. In the device of said Figs. 9 to 11, inclusive, I provide a second roller I35 which is on the same side of the main frame I28.as roller I 2| and in alignment with it. Saidroller I35 will, therefore, also aid roller I2I in rolling the trench.

Said roller I35 is journaled on a shaft I36 mounted upon an upright plate I31 which plate is journaled by journal I38 to the rear end of the main frame I28. Extending laterallyfrom the bottom of plate I31 and opposite shaft I36 is an operating lever I38 provided with a pair of balls, one of which is seen at I48, the other of which is received by a socket I4I on the rear end of a steering operating rod I42. Socket I4I may be placed on ball I 48, if desired, thus providing for variation in the eflective length of lever I38 with a consequent adjustment in the gear ratio between wheels I34 and I35. Rod I42 is operated from wheel I34'through a well-known gearing, as above described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

I44 on shafts I45, one end of each spring of which is attached to the pivoted plate of the scraper I43, the other end being held fast.

A wiping device I46, similar in construction to wiping devices I29 and I2, is carried on the top of plate I31 and wipes the roller I35. A pipe I", controlled by a valve I42, supplies water from tank ISO to wiping device I through a rubber hose I4'I'.

In the operation of the device comprising my invention, as exemplified in the form seen in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, a trench II2 (Fig. 2) is first formed adjacent the edge of a previously built road with a view of widening said road. Adjacent the outer edge of said trench I I2, as determined by the extent to which the road is to be widened, is positioned a frame 3. The trench roller is then rolled with the roller 2| in said trench H2, and with the wheels 24 and 25 on the surface of the previously built road H4. The trench roller is moved forwardly and rearwardly while being steered to move it laterally so that the roller 2| rolls over and compacts firmly the entire surface of the trench I I2.

To maintain the surface of the roller 2| level, and as an incident thereto, to maintain the axis of the shaft I1 level, the wheel 24 may be adjusted vertically by the previously described mechanism, including the handle 44. The road roller will, of course, be steered by the operation of the steering wheel 33, which is effective to move the steering wheel 26. After the surface of the trench 2 has been completely leveled or rolled compact, material may be fed to said trench to fill it at least partially. In general, the material is fed in layers and rolled after each layer. As the trench H2 becomes gradually filled, a vertical adjustment of the wheel 24 will. of course, be necessary to maintain the shaft I1 level at all times.

When the trench II2 has been substantially completely filled, the last stratum of material will be the surfacing material which, for example, may be chipped stone and a bituminous binder, or it may be any other material, such as poured concrete or brick. If it is the former, the roller may be employed to finish the surfacing of said material in which the roller wetting means 82, and the scraper mechanisms 50, will be particularly useful. The scraper mechanisms will also be useful to remove any other material, such as dirt, from the roller 2| during the earlier stages of the road widening operation. If desired, the roller wetting mechanism may be omitted entirely, but I prefer to incorporate it as part of my invention.

The device disclosed in Figs. 9 to. 11, inclusive, operates in a manner very similar to the above described operation of the device of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, except that rollers I2I and I35 both roll in the trench.

It should be particularly noted that the power unit 35- is directlyconnected by means of the power-transmission mechanism shown in Fig. 5, to the trench roller 2|. By reason of the friction clutches 8|, 82 associated with the reversing mechanism, sudden application of the power to the road roller 2| by the operator can not injure any of the apparatusbecause of the slippage at the friction clutches. As shown in Fig. 5, a relatively slow and a relatively fast speed may be obtained for both forward and rearward travel of the road roller.

By placing the power wit and the power transmission mechanism adjacent the road roller.

not only may direct propelling action be secured for the roller, but the weight of the power unit and the power transmission mechanism is added to the weight of the frame to increase both the driving traction of the roller and its rolling effect on the material in the trench or at the side of the roadway.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the adjustment in elevation of the axis 22 of the wheel 25 relative to the vehicle frame enables the axis II of the roller 2| to be maintained substantially horizontal so that the roller 2| will roll the surface to a horizontal plane. The elevation of the axis 28 of the steering wheel 21 relative to the vehicle frame I0, remains fixed. There being a single steering wheel at that end of the frame I0 opposite the large roller 2|, the vehicle frame may be tilted laterally without interfering in any way with the steering operation. When the roller operates along a deep trench, as shown in Fig. l, with the axis of the roller substantially horizontal, the forward end of the vehicle frame III may be tilted downwardly while the axis 28 of the steering wheel 21 remains substantially horizontal and at fixed elevation relative to the frame. In Fig. 4 the forward end of the frame III is tilted upwardly while the roller 2| and the adjusting wheel 25 are traveling over a roadway having a horizontal surface. In both Figs. 1 and 4 the steering -wheel unit maintains the same relation with the vehicle frame III.

In the form shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 both ends of the supporting frame may always be maintained at the same elevation relative to the road surface, and therefore the frame I20 may be maintained in horizontal position both during trench rolling operations and during transportation. This arrangement may be more comfortable to the operator who sits on the seat I33 while controlling the power transmission mechanism and while operating the steering roller unit and effecting adjustment in elevation of the axis of the wheel I22 relative to the supporting frame I20.

Patch rolling may be eifected by either the form of the machine shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, or by means of the form shown-in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, because in both forms transverse inclination of the axis of the roller may be adjusted so as to be parallel with the surface to be rolled. Furthermore, if the roadway is crowned'anda horizontal lateral extension of the roadway is to be rolled, the axis of the roller may be maintained horizontal or parallel to such extension surface by adjusting the axis 23 of the wheel 25 of Fig. 1 relative to the frame, or by adjusting the axis of the wheel I22 of Fig. 9 relative to the frame I".

By the use of the frame 3 shown in Fig, 2 the width of the trench 2 may be definitely limited, thereby avoiding any waste of material and avoiding any more rolling than is necessary. Furthermore, the frame II3 may serve as a guide abutment for the roller I20 when the rolling operation along the frame 3 is being carried out.

By referring to Figs. 1 and 4 it will be seen that the wiping device 62 for wetting the surface of the roller 2|, is located immediately above the rear scraper device 50. The arrangement may be such that sufiicient water is directed from the nozzle 53 of Fig. 8 under the upper edge of the coco-mat 58 as to cause sufficient flow of water to thoroughly wet. the material adhering to the wheel 2| before it moves upwardly into engagement with the scraper II. In other words, by adjusting the co-relation of the parts of the roller wetting apparatus, a sufllcient flow of water may be obtained to thoroughly wet and soak the adhering material before it moves upwardly to the scraper 50, and therefore when the latter acts it can more efficiently remove the adhering material from the surface of the roller 2|, and what is not thus removed may be easily wiped oil by the coco-mat i2.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein dis-' closed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a rock shaft extending transversely of said frame, a lever arm connected to one end of said shaft to swing up or down relatively to said frame when said shaft is rocked, a heavy leveling roller journaled on that. end of said shaft remote from said lever arm to occupy a position at one side of said frame, a supporting wheel journaled to the free end of said lever arm to occupy a position at the other side of said frame, and means for rocking said shaft to cause said lever arm to vary the distance of the axis of said supporting wheel from said frame while the axis of rotation of said roller remains fixed relative to said frame, the construction and arrangement being such that the roller always remains in ground engaging position and always serves as a frame supporting roller in co-operation with said wheel.

2. In a trench roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of self-contained power-operated driving mechanism mounted on said frame, mechanism located solely at one side of said frame comprising a road engaging wheel for supporting the adjacent elevations relative to the road surface, a leveling roller located solely at the other side of said frame for rotation relatively thereto on an axis fixed relative to said frame and connected to said driving mechanism to be rotated thereby to transport the machine along the roadway, and mechanism comprising a wheel at the rear end of the machine for steering the machine.

3. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a leveling roller at one side of said frame, means on the opposite side of said frame for adjusting the adjacent side of said frame relative to the road surface to maintain horizontal the axis of rotation of said roller, and self-contained power-operated driving mechanism located on said frame adjacent to said leveling roller to increase the weight on said roller.

4. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a rock-shaft extending transversely thereof, a heavy leveling roller on one side of said frame, a supporting wheel at the other side of said frame, means between said shaft and said supporting wheel to effect adjustment in elevation of the adjacent side of said frame upon the rocking of said shaft, and selfcontained power-operated mechanism on said frame and connected to said roller to drive the same and thereby propel the machine along the roadway.

side of said frame at various having spaced side members of different lengths connected by cross-pieces one of which is diagonal, means comprising a-road roller for supporting said frame for travel along a roadway, a scraper for the said roller, and an extension from the shorter side member serving to support said scraper in association with the periphery of said roller while spaced above the road surface.

7. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means for supporting the same for travel along a roadway comprising a single steering wheel at one end of said frame and a roller and a supporting wheel at the other end of said frame and on opposite sides thereof, mechanism for adjusting the elevation of the axis of the last-named supporting wheel relative to said frame to maintain the axis of the roller substantially horizontal while the elevation of the axis of the steering'wheel remains fixed relative to said frame, and steering mechanism connected to said steering wheel to effect steering of the machine irrespective of the tilt of said frame on the axis of the steering wheel.

8. A wetting device for a road working machine comprising a coco-mat, a spray pipe, an inverted U-shaped plate secured to said spray pipe, and means for suspending the mat from said plate with the upper edge of the mat extending upwardly into said U-shape plate but spaced below i said pipe.

5. A road working machine comprising a vehicle frame having parallel spaced-apart side said supporting wheel to adjust the elevation of the axis of the latter relative'to said frame to enable said rollers to travel along a depression in the roadway while the axes of the rollers are maintained substantially horizontal. I

10. In a road roller, the combination of a vehicle frame, and supporting means therefor comprising a rock shaft extending transversely of said frame with a heavy roller journaled on one end of said shaft at one side of said frame and a supporting wheel connected to the other end of said shaft by means of a lever arm with both the said roller and said wheel always in ground engaging positions and both always co-operating to support said frame, and means for rocking said shaft to swing said lever arm on the axis of the shaft and thereby vary the elevation of said wheel relative to said frame to permit said wheel and roller to ride along surfaces at different levels while said shaft remains substantially,

horizontal.

' ratus,

side of said frame, two spaced-apart wheels at the other side of said frame, self-contained poweroperated mechanism connected to said leveling roller to drive the same and thereby propel the machine along a roadway, means operable from an operators station on the vehicle frame for controlling the operation of said self-contained power-operated mechanism, steering mechanism connected to one of said wheels and operable from said station, and means connected between the other wheel and said frame and actuatable from said station for varying the elevation of the frame relative to the road surface.

12. In a trench roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a trench roller of relatively large diameter and connected to one side of one end portion of said frame, a supporting wheel of relatively small diameter and located at the other side of said frame opposite said trench roller, means connected to said wheel to lift and lower the same bodily relatively to said frame to enable said roller torotate on a horizontal axis while traveling along a trench having a horizontal bottom surface spaced below the horizontal surface of the roadway on which said supporting wheel travels, and means connected to the other end of said frame for steering the machine'to keep said roller in said trench.

13. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a supporting wheel of relatively small diameter on one side of said frame in position to travel along the road surface, a heavy roller of relatively large diameter on the other side of said frame in position to travel along a lowered road surface while the axis of rotation of such roller remains substantially horizontal, self-contained power-operated apparatus on said frame and connected to said heavy roller to drive the same and thereby propel the machine along the roadway, an operators station on said frame, steering mechanism connected to said frame and extending to said operators station for operation therefrom, means for controlling said propelling apparatus from said operators station, and means operable from said station for bodily adjusting the elevation of said supporting wheel relatively to said frame to enable the axis of the roller to remain horizontal while such roller moves along a relatively low horizontal surface and said supporting wheel moves along a relatively high horizontal surface.

14. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a heavy roller of relatively large diameter on one side of one end portion of said frame, a steering roller at the other end portion of said frame in position to track said firstnamed roller on the same side of the machine,

a supporting wheel on the other side of said frame opposite the first-named roller, self-contained power-operated apparatus for driving said first-named roller to propel the machine along the roadway, an operators station, steering mechanism connected to said steering roller and extending to said operators station for operation therefrom, mechanism operable from said operator}s' station for controlling said propelling appaand means connected to said supporting wheel for operation from said operators station to adjust the elevation of such wheel bodily relatively to said frame to enable said wheel to travel along a relatively high horizontal road surface while said first-named roller travels along a relatively low horizontal road surface with the axis of rotation'of said last-named roller retained substantially horizontal.

15. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a rock shaft extending transversely of said frame, a heavy roller journaled on one end of said shaft at one side of said frame, a lever arm connected to the other end of said shaft at the other side of said frame, a wheel connected to said lever arm in position to cooperate with said roller in the support of the said frame with the roller at one side of said frame and the wheel at the other side thereof, and means for rocking said shaft to swing said lever arm on the axis of said shaft and thereby vary the elevation of said wheel relative to said frame to permit said roller at one side of said frame and the wheel at the other side thereof to travel along surfaces at different levels while said shaft remains substantially horizontal.

16. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a single ground-engaging wheel on one side of said frame, spaced-apart tracking ground engaging rollers on the other side of said frame, steering mechanism connected to one of said leveling rollers, and means connected to said single ground-engaging wheel for adjusting the same relative to said frame to enable said wheel to travel along one level while the rollers travel along a different level on substantially horizontal axes while said vehicle frame is supported solely by said wheel and said rollers.

17. In a road roller, the combination witha vehicle frame, of a leveling roller connected to one side of one end portion of said frame, a ground-engaging wheel on the opposite side of the'said end portion of said frame, means for adjusting the elevation of said wheel relative to said frame so that when the road surfaces on opposite sides of said frame are at different levels the axis of rotation of the roller may be maintained horizontal, and a steering wheel unit at the other end of said frame.

18. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a heavy leveling roller located in its entirety on one side of one end portion of said frame, a ground-engaging wheel at the other side of said end portion of said frame, means for adjusting the elevation of said wheel relative to said frame to maintain the axis of said roller horizontal when the road surface engaged thereby is at a different level from the road surface engaged by said wheel, and a steering roller unit atthe other end of said frame in tracking relation to said heavy leveling roller.

19. In a trench roller, the combination with a vehicle frame tapering from its front portion to its rear end at one side thereof, of a relatively heavy ground-engaging leveling roller located entirely to one side of said forward portion of said frame, a relatively light ground engaging 'wheel at the other side of the forward portion of said frame, and a ground-engaging leveling roller connected to the rear tapered end of said frame in position to track said heavy roller, the construction and arrangement being such that the two leveling rollers and said wheel constitute the sole support of the frame above the roadway. 20. A road roller comprising a vehicle frame having forwardly diverging side members'connected by a transverse cross-piece, one side member being straight and longitudinal of the path of travel of the machine and the other side member being relatively diagonal, frame supporting means comprising a roller adjacent the forward end portion of the straight side' member, a scraper supported by said frame in association with the rear periphery of said roller, an additional scraper, and a forward extension from the said straight side member serving to support said additional scraper in association with the forward periphery of said roller while spaced above the road surface.

21. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of frame supporting mechanism comprising tracking ground engaging rollers at one side of said frame, steering mechanism connected to the rear roller, means comprising mat wetting devices associated with the peripheral faces of said rollers for flowing liquid over such faces, scrapers associated with said peripheral faces below said wetting devices but spaced above the ground surface, a liquid containing tank on said frame, and means for directing liquid from said tank to said wetting devices for flow over said peripheral faces downwardly past said scrapers.

22. A road roller comprising the combination with a vehicle frame, of a single heavy leveling roller at only one side of said frame, a supporting wheel of less diameter than the diameter of said roller and located on the other side of said frame opposite said roller, and means for adjusting the elevation of the axis of rotation of said wheel relative to said frame to maintain horizontal the axis of rotation of the roller while the latter travels along the bottom of a trench at a lower elevation than'the road surface supporting said wheel.

23. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of tracking spaced-apart rollers on one side of said frame, a sole supporting wheel on the opposite side of said frame, mechanism connecting said rollers and said wheel to said frame for rotation relatively thereto on parallel axes to enable said rollers and said wheel to serve as the sole ground-engaging supports for said frame, and mechanism for adjusting the elevation of said sole supporting wheel relative to said frame to bring said parallel axes each to the horizontal when the rollers travel along a trench the bottom of which is at a lower elevation than the road surface along which said wheel travels.

24. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a heavy leveling roller mounted at one side only of said frame for rotation on a transverse axis fixed relative to said frame, a ground-engaging wheel at the other side of said frame opposite said roller, and mechanism connected between said ground-engaging wheel and that side of said frame opposite the roller to lower the elevation of the frame adjacent to the said wheel and thereby adjust the axis of the roller to occupy a horizontal position while the roller travels along a horizontal surface spaced below the horizontal surface of the roadway on which the said wheel travels.

25. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means consisting of a heavy leveling roller and two spaced-apart wheels connected to said frame to support the same, said roller and said wheels being in triangular groundengaging relation to serve as the sole support for said frame for travel along a roadway, and mechanism connected between one of said wheels and said frame to adjust the axis of the leveling roller to the horizontal when the elevation of the road surface at one side of the roadway is different from the elevation of the road surface at the opposite side of said frame.

26. In a road roller, the combination with a vehicle frame having a rectangular forward por-- tion and a triangular rear end portion, of mechanism consisting of a heavy leveling roller and two spaced-apart wheels connected to said frame to afford the sole support of said frame for travel along a roadway, said roller being mounted at one side of said rectangular portion of said frame and one of said wheels being mounted at the other side of said rectangular portion opposite said roller, mechanism connected to said last-named wheel to adjust the elevation thereof relative to said frame to effect adjustment of the roller axis to horizontal for travel of the roller on a relatively low surface while said adjustable wheel travels along a relatively high surface, and steering mechanism connected to the wheel spaced from the adjustable wheel.

RAYMOND W. 

